What is a Good SAT Score? The Definitive Guide
/Learn what SAT score you need to become a competitive college applicant
Introduction
Many students taking the SAT have one goal: score as close to perfect as they can. While students should always challenge themselves to do their best, it’s worth asking: short of a perfect 1600, what is a “good” SAT score? What is an average SAT score? What is a “bad” SAT score? Should my child retake the SAT?
A good SAT score can mean a few different things. One definition is how high your child scores relative to other test-takers across the nation who have graduated high school within the past three years—in other words, their percentile. Thinking in those terms means shooting for an SAT score that is as high as possible.
Another definition of a good SAT score is whether it’s within the range of the average score of students admitted to your child’s dream school in the previous year. Thinking in these terms means gauging what scores align with the kinds of colleges your child is interested in.
The definition of a good score must also take into account your child’s year in school. If they’re taking the test as a junior, a good score means something different than if they’re taking it as a senior, because there’s more time for them to retake the test.
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty about good and bad SAT scores, we’ll remind you that the SAT is just one component of your child’s college application. It’s certainly important, but remember that grades, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, and the Common App essay all matter as well, and can help compensate for a less-than-ideal SAT score.
(Suggested reading: Every ACT and SAT Question You Have for College Admissions)
How is the SAT scored?
The SAT total score ranges from 400 to 1600. This total score comprises your child’s Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score and Math score. In each section, a student can score between 200 and 800.
Section scores can be broken down even further into individual test scores (your child’s score on the Writing or Reading tests individually, for example) cross-test scores, and subscores. For a full breakdown of which scores comprise the SAT total score, you can visit the CollegeBoard’s handy chart here.
And while national percentiles are helpful, a “good SAT score” depends on your child’s college goals.
At its simplest, the SAT is designed to test college readiness. In order to know what score is desirable for your child, it’s important to think about the which colleges they hope to attend.
In short: your child should aim for a score that falls within the range of the schools they want to get into. Colleges usually publish the SAT score ranges of their incoming class on their website. You can also search for college score ranges using the CollegeBoard’s helpful university search tool.
Unsurprisingly, score ranges for incoming college classes vary widely. If your child’s dream is to get into Yale, for example, the score ranges of the incoming freshman class were as follows. The lower number is the 25th percentile, and the higher number is the 75th percentile:
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 720–770
Math: 740–800
Overall: 1460–1570
Compare this to a national pool. Students scoring a 720 in Evidence-Based Reading & Writing in the national pool in 2021 were in the 96th percentile nationally, and students scoring a 770 were in the 99th percentile. For Math, a score of 740 is in the 95th percentile nationally and 800 is 99th percentile.
Essentially, this means your child can score higher than 95 percent of test takers in the national pool—and they’ll still be on the lower end of the score range for Yale’s incoming class. What would be considered an outstanding score in the national pool is average for Ivy League and other highly selective colleges.
If your child is interested in attending one of the Public Ivies, the SAT score ranges can be similarly competitive. The middle 50 percent of freshman at the University of Michigan, for example, earned overall scores ranging from 1400–1540. Nationally, a 1400 is the 93rd percentile, and a 1540 is the 99th percentile. At UC Berkeley, the middle 50 percent of scores were 1330–1530, or the 88th–99th percentiles.
Prestigious small liberal arts colleges boast similarly high scores among their admits. Haverford College, for example, has a score range of 1380–1540 and Williams College has a score range of 1410–1550.
These numbers may seem like there’s little room for error. But it all depends on your child’s goals. The University of Washington’s score range is 1220–1470—a 1220 is the 77th percentile nationally. The range of the incoming class at American University was 1220–1390. At UC Santa Cruz, it was 1200–1380.
Let’s say your child does score below the 25th percentile for their dream school. While that’s not ideal, and might suggest that their dream school is a “far reach,” it may not entirely disqualify them if they have something else going for them—if they’re a standout athlete or musician, for instance.
That wiggle room comes from the fact that the score range doesn’t include the lowest and the highest scores of admitted students. There will always be gifted students whose talents don’t show up on a test. For example, at Yale, 13 percent of freshmen in 2024 scored between 600–690 on EBRW, and 1 percent—around 13 students—scored below 600.
What is a good SAT score for a top-10 school?
Again, there are no hard-and-fast score cutoffs. But below we’ve listed the SAT score ranges (the middle 50 percent) for national universities ranked in the top 10 of U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 rankings. Not every school reports the exact same data, but, drawing on school self-reported data and the most up-to-date CollegeBoard resources, we have included what information is available.
| School | Math | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|
The takeaway: If your child wants to attend a highly selective school, they should be aiming for a minimum total score around 1450 or higher. If your child is interested in a highly selective school, we recommend taking the SAT early—during junior year—so they have plenty of time to study and retake the test so they have a satisfactory score when they apply.
To get a sense of how much they need to study, make use of diagnostic tests, prep books, or tutors. The Collegeboard notes that when students prepare using their Khan Academy practices “for just 6−8 hours […] their scores go up by an average of 90 points.”
So, what’s a good SAT score for college, in general?
If your child is shooting to attend college, period, note that a number of respected schools are far more forgiving in their score ranges—like Elon University, where the average total SAT score is 1200, Howard University, where the average is 1184, the University of Colorado–Boulder, where the average is 1275, or Baylor University, where the average is 1278. The takeaway: a score of 1200 is a good enough score for many mid-tier colleges and universities.
Finally, remember that score isn’t everything, and that all standardized tests are part of a larger, holistic story your child tells admissions committees. Colleges and universities consider not only the other elements of your child’s application but also your child’s and family’s educational background and the resources available to you when they assess your child’s SAT scores.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on college admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into top programs like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT using his exclusive approach.
